Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ

is a Philosopher

Many lists of famous philosophers do not include “Jesus”… Most reference books in philosophy suggest by omission that Jesus was not a philosopher. For example, The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (1967), long a standard reference work, has no entry under “Jesus” or “Christ.” The newer and well-respected Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (1998) has no entry for “Jesus” or “Christ” but includes one on “Buddha.”

Always Willing To Learn

Always willing to learn

Prepare

How willing are you to learn from those younger or less experienced in the Lord than you?

Romans 1:8-13 (NLT) [Read passage]

When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

Romans 1:12 (NLT)

Explore

Yesterday, we saw both Paul’s authority as an apostle and his submissiveness as a servant. This deft two-handedness can also be seen in these, his opening words to the Roman Christians.

As an apostle, he affirms them for their faith (v 8), tells them of his unceasing prayer for them (v 9) and his desire to visit them and impart some faith-strengthening gift to them (v 11). Later in the passage, he declares his apostolic calling to preach to Gentiles across the known world (v 13).

In these verses, he sounds like a prince of the church, fanning the Christian movement into flame across national borders. But see how, as a humble servant, he also acknowledges that whilst he might have something to offer the Roman Christians, he fully expects that they will be able to encourage his faith too (v 12). Such humility moved Calvin to write, ‘Note to what degree of modesty his pious heart submitted itself, so that he did not disdain to seek confirmation from inexperienced beginners.‘ In so doing, Paul demonstrates his belief that all Christians are gifted and indispensable parts of the body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:12–31). He reckons that even the newly converted Roman Christians might have a thing or two to teach him.

Respond

Write two lists: those whom God is calling you to serve; those from whom you should be open to accept ministry and encouragement.

Alfian Palar Ministries

Alfian Palar Ministries « World Salvation Center

World Salvation Center

Alfian Palar Ministies

Billy Graham: The Great Evangelist

Billy Graham: The Great Evangelist
Cover Illustration © 1996 Dick Bobnick __________________________________ Billy Graham: The Great Evangelist is available to Supporters of Alfian Palar Ministries.™ _______________	By Sam Wellman “His sanctuary is the world.” Billy Graham has preached the Gospel in person to more people than any other Christian in history. In person: more than eighty countries…over 110 million people. And through television and radio hundreds of millions more. No preacher before him had used the mass media to such advantage. No preacher before or after him has delivered the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to so many. Billy Graham, who has preached in person in more than eighty countries to over 110 million people, and has reached hundreds of millions through television and radio, is truly of phenomenon of the twentieth century. At a time when Segregation according to skin color was the Law in the U.S. South, Billy Graham was the first Evangelist to refuse to allow Segregated seating, when as a young preacher he held his first Evangelistic Crusades there. Yet since his first outdoor meeting in 1949 the focus of this extraordinary North Carolina-born evangelist has remained the same: to proclaim the Christian faith to nonbelievers. This simple desire has led Graham’s ministry into uncharted territory as he crossed racial and political barriers without fear of criticism. Unquestionably regarded as one of the leading Christian figures of his generation, Billy Graham has remained as sought after in Washington, D.C. as in Warsaw. His personal integrity and humility, and most of all, his simple yet profound delight in God’s Word continue to _____________________________

Charles Spurgeon: The Great Orator

Charles Spurgeon: The Great Orator
_______________    Charles Haddon Spurgeon 1834-1892 _______________     _______________       Cover Illustration © 1997 Dick Bobnick __________________________________ Charles Spurgeon: The Great Orator is available to Supporters of Alfian Palar Ministries.™	By J. C. Carlile A great Tabernacle was once built for a great preacher. Such were Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s preaching gifts that London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle—a structure accommodating 6,000 people—was built just for him. The great orator and preacher continued filling the pews until his death thirty years later, while also founding there a pastor’s college and an orphanage, which both still exist. …Spurgeon delivered sermons that are eminently readable today, and still…in print over a century later. Rejecting the Congregationalist theology of his father, Spurgeon was baptized as an adult, and soon after discovered his God-given gift in a pastorate near Cambridge, England. A powerful evangelist with a natural and appealing sense of humor, Spurgeon delivered sermons that are eminently readable today, and still, remarkably, in print over a century later. Charles Haddon Spurgeon remains a role model for seminarians and seasoned pastors alike, and an imagined fiery presence in the pulpit through his inspired writings.

George Müller: Man of Faith

George Müller: Man of Faith
George Müller 1805-1898 (also spelled Mueller, Muller) English Evangelist and Philanthropist; a man of faith and prayer. Born in Prussia in 1805, by age 10 George was inventing plans to embezzle the government monies his father had charge of. His school years were years of drunkenness and immorality. At age sixteen he was jailed for failing to pay his bills. The University he attended had 900 Divinity students. George said that there were only about nine who truly feared God. He continued in sin until at age 20 he received Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. George married and became a Pastor, but refused his salary when he found out it was collected from “pew-rents.” He decided to live on faith from that time forward. Müller established Orphanages in Bristol, England, and founded the “Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad.” His life was characterized by prayer, faith, and self-denial in the cause of Christ. During his lifetime, he established 117 schools which educated more than 120,000 young persons, including orphans. In 1875, at the age of 70, and until age 87, he had a 17-year ministry of world-wide Evangelistic tours, which also raised money for his orphanages and the thousands of children in them. He would live for another six years. At the time of his death at age 93 in 1898, the Church that he pastored in Bristol had about 2,000 members. __________________	By Bonnie Harvey Cover illustration © Dick Bobnick. _________________________________   A Life of Prayer and Faith Psalm 68:5 spoke to George Müller’s heart in a unique way. Believing that his material needs would be supplied through faith and prayer alone, Müller began a ministry in 1835 for orphaned children based entirely upon God for support. Such complete reliance on his Heavenly Father was nothing new for George Müller. Daily Bible reading and prayer were an essential part of this prayer warrior’s life. Within a few years, thousands of orphans on Ashley Down, near Bristol, England, were having their needs met, and more, because of Müller’s mission. George Müller knew that the “Father to the fatherless” still provided for his children. He had God’s word on it. _________________________________ Andrew Murray On George Müller “When God wishes anew to teach His Church a truth that is not being understood or practiced, He mostly does so by raising some man to be in word and deed a living witness to its blessedness. And so God has raised up in this nineteenth century, among others, George Muller to be His witness that He is indeed the Hearer of prayer. I know of no way in which the principal truths of God’s word in regard to prayer can be more effectually illustrated and established than a short review of his life and of what he tells of his prayer-experiences.” -Andrew Murray On George Müller ____________________________

George Whitefield:Pioneering Evangelist

George Whitefield: Pioneering Evangelist
Cover Illustration © 1999 Dick Bobnick __________________________________ George Whitefield: Pioneering Evangelist is available to Supporters of “Alfian Palar Ministries” _______________	By Bruce and Becky Durost Fish Meet the first “modern” evangelist. When George Whitefield preached about Calvary, his audience saw the blood. When he spoke of Christ’s crucifixion, his listener’s felt the nails. Between 1776 and 1770, George Whitefield preached more than eighteen thousand sermons to crowds in Great Britain, Northern Europe, and the American Colonies. As many as eighty percent of those living in the New World heard him preach at least once. In all, his audiences numbered in the millions, and millions more were exposed through his words through newspapers, magazines, and printed versions of his sermons, journals, and letters. George Whitefield revolutionized preaching and introduced a totally new approach to evangelism. His ministry was not tied to any particular denomination, and he used the popular media to publicize his meetings. With his passion to reach individuals for Christ, he changed the lives of millions. His methods became the foundation for modern evangelism and continue to affect lives today.

Charles Finney: The Great Revivalist

Charles Finney: The Great Revivalist
Have you received Christ as you Lord and Saviour? _______________	Author: Bonnie C. Harvey He planned to become a lawyer, but God had another idea. …after years of honest questioning, Charles finally found peace with God. Charles Finney had no interest in spiritual things—until he began studying the bible to better understand certain references in his law books. Then on Oct. 10, 1821, after years of honest questioning, Charles finally found peace with God. …revivals throughout the northeastern United States…tens of thousands of conversions. From that day forward, Finney’s life was devoted to telling others about Jesus Christ. He was the first evangelist to popularize public invitations, to place an emphasis on personal decisions for Christ, and to encourage counseling for both new converts and those seeking God. His powerful sermons led to revivals throughout the northeastern United States and resulted in tens of thousands of conversions. …become one of the nation’s most powerful advocates for God… When he died in 1875, the man who had trained to be a lawyer had become one of the nation’s most powerful advocates for God—through his preaching, he had effectively argued the case for the Lord.

Check out my Guestbook!